South Koreans vote for new parliament after economy, corruption dominate campaign

SEOUL — South Koreans vote to elect a new parliament on April 10 in a bitterly fought race seen by some analysts as a referendum on President Yoon Suk-yeol, whose popularity has suffered amid a cost of living crisis and a spate of political scandals.

The opposition Democratic Party (DP), which already dominates the 300-member legislature, has hammered Yoon and his conservative People Power Party (PPP) for mismanaging the economy and failing to rein in inflation.

PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said a big win by the DP, whose leader is facing corruption charges, would create a crisis for the country. He warned against giving the opposition an unprecedented super majority of 200 seats.

Opinion polls are mixed and the two major parties have said dozens of districts are too close to call but some party leaders and political analysts predict DP is likely to win a majority.

Yoon, about to enter the third year of his five-year presidential term, has been suffering from low approval ratings for months, having come to power in 2022 vowing to cut taxes, ease business regulations and expand family support in the world's fastest ageing society.

Kookmin University political science professor Hong Sung-gul said this election will be a retrospective on Yoon's performance rather than a choice about future policy issues, as well as a measure of how divided society has become politically.

"A major factor here is the judgement that President Yoon Suk-yeol has not been good at making the right decisions politically, and there's discontent about that," he said.

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said his team needs a clear majority to deliver the message of judgement against Yoon's failed government and is cautiously confident that it can